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Stockholm based Svart Snö build on the pedigree of the Swedish D-beat band like Anti-Cimex with a lot of influences from US hardcore such as MDC and Poison Idea. The band was formed in 1987 when a few contemporary bands turned metal and up-coming band the following years jumped on either the “trall” or 90s Umeå SXE bandwagon. Staying true to its heritage, Svart Snö had a strong political agenda but were able to develop the themes outside the Discharge’s anti-war theme. However, in relation to its ancestors, a common determinator is that the political protest is screamed out – juvenile and straight forward. Myself, being a fan of this type of hardcore, also appreciate other Swedish bands in the same camp such as Totalitär, No Security and to some extent G-anx.

I was a little curious about the history of both the band and this tape so I had to ask Peken (guitar) and Fabbe (vocals) a few questions.

What’s the background of the band, a few Svart Snö members played earlier in Ur Funktion, right?

Peken : Well, Ur Funktion was a band that I had with Piffen (drums) and Saatsa (guitar). I played bass, did the vocals and wrote all songs. We made a demo in the Mob-47 studio (Bowlinghallen) in 1985. After a while we added Jutte on vocals but the band quickly run into trouble: Jutte was quite capricious and Saasta basically lost interest in the band so we folded. However, I had few new songs that later became Svart Snö’s first songs. In conjunction to that I moved to guitar. You could say that half of Ur Function, me and Piffen, changed band members and became Svart Snö, but you could also say that Svart Snö was a brand new band. I guess both versions of the story are correct.

Peken : No, it was just used for various compilation tapes. It’s as you know also on the our compilation CD from 1998. Same with the Svart Snö demo, never released as a “proper” demo.

So the “unreleased” Svart Snö demo is the only demo?

Fabbe : Well we always had some extra songs recorded when we made records, but it’s correct, we never made any more demos. We actually planned to make a split tape with No Security but that never materialized.

Image to the left. Svart Snö live October 16, photography Helena “Banan” Johnsson.

The Svart Snö demo from 1988 was recorded at Kloakens Alternativa Anti Studio on January 8, 1988. A cult studio managed by Micke of Asta Kask. What can you remember from the demo recording?

Fabbe : Well I remember that we had a serious hang-hover when we left Stockholm for a train ride to Töreboda. We almost forgot to get off the train in Töreboda as we were all sleeping. However, as we were there it was very fun to record. We were possible one of the last band who recorded there, Micke shut down the studio a couple of months later. That place got history in the walls and we were told a bunch of stories of the various recording that have been done here. I can’t remember so much of the actual recording, I have to give Micke Blomqvist credit for all the energy he had to manage the place in all these years. We paid like 150 Swedish krona (about 20 dollars) and we slept on the floor of his house. He and Tompa Eken (Ultrahuset) are the truest DIY guys I ever meet. These two have made most for punk in Sweden. Period!

Image above. The flyer for the gig at Ultra (Folkets Hus) on October 16th 1998.

What about the gig and the interview on the tape?

Fabbe : The gig was at the old “Folkets Hus” in Handen (South of Stockholm) on October 16th 1988. We played with No Security and Los Bohemos. Ultrahuset had been burnt down a month earlier so all gigs was now moved to Folkets Hus. I can recall anything of the gig. The interview is facepalm deluxe, it was made by a buddy of us, Steffe Ståhl. He made local radio in Haninge. It’s fun to listen to Pelle, he’s unbelievable. Typical dry and academic answers. The live-songs is for sure more fun to listen to, you can hear that Pelle is playing with us, the solos are different and the speed on Levande Död is way better that on the final recording. I don’t understand what happened when we recorded it, it became dull. The following two songs we stopped playing and Den Glade Clownen became a different version on the EP Den Civilicerade Apan when Pelle stopped playing, the version on the cassette is a little more complicated and frankly much better. Livet Är Lustigt we stopped playing, I wanted it on the demo, but the other members in the band did not like it so that did not happen. Fuck band democracy!!!

Image to the left. Svart Snö live October 16, photography Helena “Banan” Johnsson

Pelle, it that Pelle Ström?

Peken : Yes, he had played in Agony earlier, so did I at one point, but at that time we were called Agoni. I was asked to choose between Agoni and Ur Function, and I choose the latter. That means that I and Pelle never were in the band at the same time. I guess I knew him through Pär in Agoni or maybe through Ultrahuset, can’t remember now. Anyhow, as for his presence in Svart Snö; Krixhjälters had a hiatus so he played with us for 6 month, then Krixhjälters started to play again and he got busy with them. I guess that kind of music was more his cup of tea.

Svart Snö released the records on many different labels. However, your first EP, Ren Säker och Billig! was released on Finn Records. How was it to work with the notorious Eskiltuna label?

Peken : Yeah, Svart Snö was not another Finn Records release, it was the first release on the label. The Finn-guys were more “ordinary” punks back then – animal rights and politics was very important to them. The later phase – “grisa and veva” (drinking madness) – and the beleif that Discharge was the only band worth listening to emerged later. Of course there was a lot of drinking, but that was a good match with Svart Snö back in days. Anyhow – it was also our first release so everything was new and somewhat surreal for all of us.

Fabbe : In retrospect is might sound strange, but the Finn-guys was very serious in what they did. We were happy working with them. A funny story however – they brought a lot of copies to the Hultfred festival and of course lost shitloads of them in another drinking madness.

Image to the left. Svart Snö’s reunion at Cyklopen in November 15th, 2014, photography Micke Karlsson.

Epilogue:

Between 1987 and 1997 Svart Snö put out 5 EP’s, 3 LP and a compilation album. The band toured extensively in Sweden and in the Northern Europe. About 200 gigs all-in-all. However, in 1997 the band called it a day. However, the band made a reunion at Cyklopen in Stockholm on November 15th 2014. As for records, Svart Snö is releasing a compilation record on Skrammel Record pretty soon, check it out!!